Chrysanthemum plant named Libra

ABSTRACT

A  chrysanthemum  plant named Libra characterized by its medium sized blooms with white ray florets and a cream center, and prolific branching; natural season flower date August 29-September 4; blooming for a period of 5 weeks.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Libra is a product of a breeding and selection program for outdoor pot mums (garden mums) which had the objective of creating new chrysanthemum cultivars with a decorative type flower, a natural season flower date around August 29-September 4; blooming for a period of 5 weeks. The new plant of the present invention comprises a new and distinct cultivar of chrysanthemum plant. Libra is a seedling resulting from a crossing program, set up by a previous breeder, and which records are unknown to the inventor. The new and distinct cultivar was discovered and selected as a flowering plant by Mark Roland Boeder on a cultivated field in Rijsenhout, The Netherlands in 2001. The first act of asexual production of Libra was accomplished when vegetative cuttings were taken from the initial selection in 2001 and propagated further in a controlled environment in Rijsenhout, The Netherlands. The new cultivar has been found to retain its distinctive characteristics through successive propagations.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention of a new and distinct variety of chrysanthemum is shown in the accompanying drawings, the color being as nearly true as possible with color photographs of this type.

FIG. 1 shows a plant of the cultivar in full bloom.

FIG. 2 shows the various stages of bloom of the new cultivar.

FIG. 3 shows the various stage of foliage of the new cultivar.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

This new variety of chrysanthemum is of the botanical classification Chrysanthemum morifolium L. The observations and measurements were gathered from plants grown out door in Rijsenhout, The Netherlands under natural day length and temperature and planted in week 23 in 2005. The natural blooming date of this crop was August 29-September 4 (week 35). The average height of the plants was 25-30 cm cm. The plants were pinched once, just after planting. No growth retardants were used. No tests were done on disease or insect resistance or susceptibility. No tests were done on cold or drought tolerance. This new variety produces medium sized blooms with white ray florets blooming for a period of 5 weeks.

From the cultivars known to inventor the most similar existing cultivar in comparison to Libra is ‘Unicorn’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 14,697). When ‘Unicorn’ and Libra are being compared the following differences are noticed: The difference of ‘Unicorn’ and Libra are (1) Flower size and (2) Plant habit. (1) The flowers of ‘Unicorn’ are smaller in size than those of ‘Libra’. (2) The plant form of ‘Unicorn’ is more erect than the ball-shaped form of plants of ‘Libra’.

The following is a description of the plant and characteristics that distinguish Libra as a new and distinct variety. The color designations are taken from the plant itself. Accordingly, any discrepancies between the color designations and the colors depicted in the photographs are due to photographic tolerances. The color chart used in this description is: The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, edition 1995.

Table 1. Botanical Description of Chrysanthemum Plant ‘Libra’

-   Bud:     -   -   Size.—Small; cross-section 1 cm, height 0.5 cm.         -   Outside color.—Yellow 10 D.         -   Involucral bracts.—2 rows, length 7 mm, width 3 mm.         -   Involucral bracts among disc-florets.—Not present.         -   Involucral bracts color.—Green 138A. -   Bloom:     -   -   Type.—Double.         -   Height.—1.5 cm.         -   Size.—Medium.         -   Fully expanded.—5.5 cm.         -   Peduncle length.—9 cm.         -   Peduncle color.—Green 138B.         -   Number of blooms per branch.—Approx. 8 blooms per branch.         -   Performance on the plant.—5 weeks.         -   Seeds.—Produced in small quantities, ovate grey-brown 199A,             1½ mm in length.         -   Fragrance.—Typical chrysanthemum, slightly. -   Color:     -   -   Center of the flower.—Immature Yellow 4A Mature Yellow 4A.         -   Color of upper surface of the ray-florets.—White 155A.         -   Color of the lower surface of the ray-florets.—White 155D.         -   Tonality from distance.—A garden mum with white flowers and             a cream center.         -   Color of the ray-florets after aging of the plant.—White             155D. -   Ray florets:     -   -   Texture.—Upper and under side smooth.         -   Number.—250.         -   Cross-section.—Convex.         -   Longitudinal axis of majority.—Straight to incurving.         -   Length of corolla tube.—0.4 cm.         -   Ray-floret margin.—Entire.         -   Ray-floret length.—2-2.5 cm.         -   Ray-floret width.—0.5-0.8 cm.         -   Ratio length/width.—Medium.         -   Shape of tip.—Rounded. -   Disc florets:     -   -   Disc diameter.—0.2 cm.         -   Distribution of disc florets.—Few, only visible in mature             stage.         -   Shape.—Tubular.         -   Color.—Yellow 4A to Yellow 11D at base.         -   Receptacle shape.—Conical raised. -   Reproductive organs:     -   -   Stamen.—Present in disc florets only.         -   Stamen color.—Yellow-green 144A.         -   Pollen.—Present.         -   Pollen color.—Yellow 7A.         -   Styles.—Thin.         -   Style color.—Yellow 13A.         -   Style length.—0.3 cm.         -   Stigma color.—Yellow-green 144A.         -   Stigma width.—1 mm.         -   Ovaries.—Enclosed in calyx. -   Plant:     -   -   Form.—Grown as a spray type potmum, outdoor mounded and             round.         -   Growth habit.—Spherical shape.         -   Growth rate.—Medium.         -   Height.—25-30 cm.         -   Width.—45 cm.         -   Stem color.—Greyed-brown 199C.         -   Stem strength.—Medium.         -   Stem brittleness.—Not brittle.         -   Stem anthocyanin coloration.—Absent.         -   Internode length.—2 cm.         -   Length of lateral branch.—From top to bottom 15-20 cm.         -   Lateral branch color.—Green 138A.         -   Lateral branch, attachment.—Medium strength.         -   Branching (average number of lateral branches).—Good with             7-8 breaks after pinching.         -   Natural season blooming date.—August 29-September 4. -   Foliage:     -   -   Leaf color.—Upper side Green 136A-137A Lower side Green             138A.         -   Color midvein.—Upper side Yellow-green 147D Lower side             Yellow-green 148D.         -   Size.—Small; length 3-5.5 cm, width 1.8-3.5 cm.         -   Quantity (number per lateral branch).—25.         -   Shape.—Elliptic to obovate.         -   Texture upper side.—Glabrous.         -   Texture under side.—Pubescent.         -   Venation arrangement.—Palmate.         -   Shape of the margin.—Serrated.         -   Shape of base of sinus between lateral lobes.—Rounded.         -   Margin of sinus between lateral lobes.—Diverging.         -   Shape of base.—Acute.         -   Apex.—Mucronulate.         -   Petiole length.—1-1.5 cm.         -   Petiole color.—Yellow-green 147D.

TABLE 2 Differences with the comparison variety ‘Libra’ ‘Unicorn’ Flower size 5.5 cm 3.5-4 cm Plant height 25-30 cm 28 cm Plant width 45 cm 30-34 cm 

1. A new and distinct variety of chrysanthemum plant as described and illustrated. 